IIT Madras and MoA&FW collaborate on Project VISTAAR to digitize agricultural extension.

National

On January 2, 2025, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (MoA&FW), launched the Project Virtually Integrated System to Access Agricultural Resources (VISTAAR). This project aims to revolutionize the agricultural extension system by digitizing it to provide better services to farmers across India.


      - VISTAAR will offer farmers and agricultural stakeholders high-quality advisory services on crop production, marketing, value addition, supply chain management, and government schemes.

      - The platform is designed to bridge the gap between technological innovations and farmers, ensuring wider adoption and substantial impact.

      - MoA&FW and IIT Madras signed an MoU to enhance the VISTAAR platform by incorporating information about start-ups in the agriculture and allied sectors which provide sustainable and climate-resilient farming solutions.

Main Point :-   (i) IIT Madras, along with its incubated start-up YNOS Venture Engine, developed a database of over 12,000 start-ups in the agriculture sector, enabling farmers to access innovative solutions and technologies.

      (ii) The collaboration aims to connect farmers with start-ups offering advanced technologies to make agriculture more sustainable and climate-resilient.

(iii) The VISTAAR platform will provide farmers with timely and accurate information on crop management, value-added services, and government schemes, ensuring efficient agricultural extension.

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